Deciding to sell your home during a pandemic while in the middle of an election year when it’s a sellers market and there’s very low inventory and also during the “off-season” is not always the best decision one can make. LOL… But we did it! And because we choose the most stressful time possible to try to sell a home, I wanted to share how we made the process a little smoother when it came to getting our home sold. Here’s are 10 tips for preparing your home to sell!
OUR HOME TOUR
Please note. Moving is stressful. There’s no way around that no matter what time of year you do it. So, just be prepared.
CLEAN
As a looking buyer, I was amazed at how many houses we went into that were not CLEAN. I would have been embarrassed by some if they were my house, but to each their own. However, an unkempt home can turn buyers off. Not only does it make it seem like you haven’t cared for the home, but it’s just not appealing. So clean up as much as possible and make it all sparkle. Make it sparkle for your photos too. Do it yourself, or plan on having it cleaned professionally once before photos and once before you go live on the market so it’s nice and tidy for showings.
DECLUTTER
Don’t be afraid to let go of things. This is the perfect time to go through closets and drawers. Declutter as much as possible. It’s not a bad idea if you have a lot you want to keep to looking into getting a storage unit for a short period of time. We boxed up things we could live without for a while but didn’t quite want to let go of yet and sent them over to storage.
ANNUAL INSPECTIONS TO CONSIDER
CONSIDER SMELLS
I don’t know about you but walking into a house that doesn’t smell fresh and clean isn’t something that gives me good vibes. I can’t get over some smells. So maybe consider investing in lots of Lysol and room sprays or a great diffuser that you can put in some really appealing smells. I prefer the Anthropologie Volcano smell, because it smells like fresh, citrus, homey to me but some prefer Vanilla or whatever. Just make sure you don’t cook salmon or bacon the day before you are going to have showings.
PAINT
While you don’t want to invest a ton of money if you don’t have to, paint will give the home a nice fresh new look. If preparing your home to sell, consider repainting some rooms! Consider having your entire downstairs painted a nice neutral color to give the home a newer feel which is what buyers want.
ORGANIZE YOUR CLOSETS
Seems silly, but if a closet is organized and looks great, people will love it! Messy spaces don’t help to sell houses. Clean it up. Plus, if it looks like there’s lots of room that’s even better! Buyers are always looking for loads of storage! This is another place to move things to storage if you need to. Create the illusion that you haven’t had your closet filled to the brim for the last few years by removing anything unnecessary. Channel your own Home Edit.
TACKLE YOUR TO-DO LIST
If you had a list of small things you were hoping to get to, these little updates could make all the difference! We did a walk through the house and noted what all we figured we HAD to do and also things we had WANTED to do. In the end tackle all the things and even a few wants because any buyer (whoever it ended up being) will appreciate or notice those things. You might need to repaint your sideboards, for example, especially if they are looking worn and discolored. Or you might need to bring in a professional for help with maintenance issues, such as a HVAC company if your AC is in need of repair. When you have tackled such things around your home, the buyer will have fewer reasons to not consider your property.
POWER WASH
This can really go a long way. Obviously if you are selling mid-winter, maybe not a good idea, but we did this in the fall and it actually made our porch area look almost brand new! Not only does it clean your house up, but it gives it a bright and fresh look too! Here’s one similar to the one we used and this is one easy thing that can get overlooked when preparing your home to sell, but don’t forget the small things!
EDIT FURNITURE
I don’t have have ton of extra furniture laying around or randomly sitting in rooms, but make sure each room has a purpose and that it’s easy to walk through. Also, consider rearranging your furniture so it’s inviting to buyers and they can see themselves sitting there. I noticed after our showings that we had one chair that someone pulled out to sit in each time. It was kind of funny how the same chair was sat in, but I’m hoping that made them feel comfortable. We ended up selling in 2 days so something worked. And if one of your favorite spots has furniture that looks dingy or old, consider pulling it out for showings.
CURB APPEAL
We have pretty minimal and easy to take care of landscaping but you’d be surprised how far a few bags of mulch will go in making your house stand out on the block! If you are preparing your home to sell, take a moment to trim the bushes, add mulch or even just mow and rake. One of the other ways that you can get your home’s curb appeal levels up is to revamp the garden. Consider setting it into zones, with dog turf in one area to make it friendly for your pup, and even a climbing frame area for the kids. You can put down a patio, too, and show off a more low maintenance area in the garden. You can ensure that your home looks good enough to buy with the simple addition of color, and the right turf will help you here. Again, make your house look like it’s been well maintained and you’ll reap the rewards!
DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE GARAGE
If you are like us, your garage plays a few roles. But people understand that… And people know you are moving… Don’t get too caught up in the messy garage. Try to make it presentable, but if it’s full of moving boxes and stuff you’ve just pulled from the house, don’t worry about it! They aren’t buying your house for the garage and they know what a garage looks like!
So there you have it. Those are my top 10 tips to prepare your house for sale and market! It doesn’t have to be overly overwhelming but it is a lot of work! Unless you are a minimalist in which case, it might be much easier for you! But either way, I hope you found these tips helpful and good luck with preparing your home to sell and your move!